A New Subject for the Blog

I have been an avid crocheter for quite some time now, and though I have had limited experience selling things on Etsy, I have become quite devoted to the site and to the hilarious satire of it, Regretsy. Now I have joined April's Army in order to assist sellers in need.

"During the last week of each month, we sell a variety of items contributed by Regretsy.com fans. All profits are donated to Etsy artists and others in need. Over $70,000 has been raised by the Regretsy community for a number of great causes. To learn more, please see www.regretsy.com/charity

April's Army designates one person or charity to receive each month's profits. For July 2011, the recipient is April's Army Founder and Etsy seller WickdCreation. Mary and her husband are both unemployed and are faced with medical bills and possible eviction. They need our help to get back on track."

It is the sad truth that regular jobs are unreasonably difficult for many to come by during the current recession, and with unemployment and health benefits being slashed, any hand up for someone who is working hard to be an entrepreneur can be vital.

I am also working on expanding what little media fiefdom I have manage to build up (cue evil laugh), so I am thinking that Nat and Ferdinand plushes are just the beginning of how my writing career can have a useful partnership with crafters. Tie-in merchandise, even on a small scale, helps build a brand, and is a lot of fun to boot.

Thus, I unveil my multi-prong plan:

1. I am inviting April's Army sellers to do guest posts on this blog, much as I do with other Eternal Press authors.

2. When I see something that I think people who like my books will like, and it's being sold by someone in Team April, I will pimp it here.

3. As my discretionary income comes in bit by bit, I will slowly build a stockpile of custom-made Laconia merchandise to use for promotional giveaways and charity auctions.

Sounds good? I'm excited. Let's make this happen in our artistic ability!